MCP Memory Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Claude Desktop that provides structured memory management across chat sessions, specifically designed for project-based work.

Project-Focused Memory Management

This MCP server is specifically designed to help Claude maintain context and knowledge within project directories when used with Claude Desktop. It allows Claude to:

Create a memory store within your project directory
Save important information discovered during conversations
Retrieve relevant memories in future sessions
Build a comprehensive knowledge base about your project over time

This approach is ideal for long-term projects where maintaining context between sessions is crucial, such as software development, research, writing, or any collaborative work with Claude.

Features

Store memories as structured markdown files
Index memories using Lunr.js for efficient retrieval
Tag and categorize memories
Create relationships between memories
Search memories by content, tags, or type
Build memory stores in specified directories

Memory Structure

Memories are stored in a hierarchical structure within your project:

/your-project-directory
  /memory                # Memory store created by Claude
    /entities/           # Information about specific entities (people, projects, etc.)
    /concepts/           # Abstract concepts or knowledge
    /sessions/           # Session-specific memories
    /index.json          # Lunr.js search index
    /metadata.json       # Overall memory metadata
    /README.md           # Auto-generated documentation

This structure keeps all project-related memories organized and accessible within your project directory.

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/mcp-memory/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

You can also set a custom memory directory using an environment variable:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/mcp-memory/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MEMORY_DIR": "/path/to/custom/memory/directory"
      }
    }
  }
}

Project Workflow

Setup: When starting a new project with Claude, have it create a memory store in your project directory
Ongoing Work: As you work with Claude, it will save important information to the memory store
Continuity: In future sessions, Claude can retrieve relevant memories to maintain context
Knowledge Building: Over time, Claude builds a comprehensive knowledge base about your project

This workflow ensures that Claude maintains context and knowledge specific to each project, making it more effective as a long-term collaborator.

Claude Project Instructions

This repository includes an instructions_template.md file that provides a comprehensive template for Claude project instructions. You can customize this template for your specific projects to help Claude effectively use the memory system.

The template includes:

Memory system setup instructions
Memory retrieval process
Memory creation guidelines
Memory organization system
Memory maintenance procedures
Conversation workflow
Best practices

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Start the server
npm start

# Development mode (watch for changes)
npm run dev

Implementation Details

This server is built using:

The official Model Context Protocol (MCP) SDK
TypeScript for type safety
Lunr.js for memory indexing and search
Zod for schema validation

License

MIT

MCP Memory Server

Integrations